tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13231008204056244702024-03-19T01:45:47.381-04:00The Heidelberger PapersUrban AmericaAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15208408437480156199noreply@blogger.comBlogger1088125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323100820405624470.post-27163115752110077882012-09-14T22:56:00.000-04:002012-09-14T22:56:27.696-04:00Multimodal Suspension<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mmheidelberger/7986973501/in/photostream"><img border="0" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8436/7986973501_2872dc66a4_z.jpg" /></a></div>
Well alright, the Queensboro is a cantilever bridge, but I liked the title. I offer my apologies for the soft posting as of late, my schedule has not allowed my much to this blog.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15208408437480156199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323100820405624470.post-8408749852531077152012-09-07T21:05:00.001-04:002012-09-07T21:05:42.070-04:00Long Island City Skyline<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mmheidelberger/7951320742/in/photostream"><img border="0" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8318/7951320742_9f665598b2_z.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15208408437480156199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323100820405624470.post-25347751708012157042012-09-03T22:32:00.000-04:002012-09-03T22:32:33.956-04:00The Oldsmobile of Old<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mmheidelberger/7925652200/in/photostream"><img border="0" height="512" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8173/7925652200_0654629797_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I love coming across scenarios like these; not just an old automobile, but an scene out of time. Without engaging in much scrutiny, this could almost be Bensonhurst, 1978 (my estimation based on my limited knowledge of automobiles). John Travolta anyone?</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mmheidelberger/7926032576/in/photostream"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8301/7926032576_404b425544_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15208408437480156199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323100820405624470.post-21673234705388908632012-09-01T22:36:00.000-04:002012-09-01T22:36:44.399-04:00Home Of...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The east end of Queens Plaza.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15208408437480156199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323100820405624470.post-18585969252197385622012-08-31T12:06:00.000-04:002012-08-31T12:06:56.733-04:00Trifecta<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Taken along Surf Avenue in Coney Island.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15208408437480156199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323100820405624470.post-47292717635835687692012-08-29T20:56:00.000-04:002012-08-29T20:56:23.758-04:00Diner Off<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mmheidelberger/7854833494/in/photostream"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7113/7854833494_8d473bd074_z.jpg" width="512" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15208408437480156199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323100820405624470.post-87215111424367004022012-08-27T23:38:00.001-04:002012-08-27T23:38:21.573-04:00The Red Hook within our Veins<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mmheidelberger/7133746609/in/photostream"><img border="0" height="512" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7252/7133746609_4944b78b99_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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There are few things more pleasing to a lens than oxidized iron, and its alloys. We all get to enjoy the benefits of it, and I'm not just referring to its aesthetic value; without it, we would be deceased. The same iron oxide that consumes this structure delivers the oxygen we breathe to where its needed within each of us; unless of course, you're Vulcan, then a photo of a copper roof would be much more appropriate. Not to get sidetracked here, this structure is one of the rapidly disappearing relics of Red Hook's past and sits near the Gowanus Expressway.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15208408437480156199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323100820405624470.post-48802027693832306692012-08-27T00:10:00.001-04:002012-08-27T00:10:22.098-04:00The Ozone Park Ramp Up Junction<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mmheidelberger/7868444878/in/photostream"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8301/7868444878_50852424ee_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
In Ozone Park, Queens, there is a junction that can be the point of much confusion endured by JFK bound tourists and casual A Train riding NYC residents alike. It is a common occurrence that commuters bound for JFK Airport will mistakenly board a Lefferts Blvd bound A train and scratch their head when they never make it to the Howard Beach station. This piece of infrastructure is the first of two sequences where A Train, while retaining the same route designation (A) splits in to multiple terminus points.<br />
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This next section reveals a small, but complicated piece of NYC Transit lore. Some of the terms used here may seem somewhat esoteric to people who aren't familiar with the basics of New York City Subway system history. There is a series in the works in which I will discuss, in further detail, some of the fascinating history of the system and its development. But until then, all that really needs to be communicated at this point is that much work has been done over the last several decades to try to unify the subway system. In many ways, however, the system is still a hodgepodge of of different lines created by competing and conflicting interests. <br />
One doesn't have to look very hard to see evidence of this. The most conspicuous clues that are readily evident are details like how the system is separated into an A Division (fomerly IRT, Routes with numbers) and a B Division (formerly IND, BMT, Routes with letters), which have completely different train sizes. Or some of the awkward ways in which transfers are made within connected stations. The junction above, however, is more subtle, and is resultant from dual contracts, and deconstruction and reconstitution of old transit lines.<br />
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This junction is where the 1) IND Rockaway Line, 2) IND Fulton Street Line, and 3) BMT Fulton Street Line.<br />
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1. IND Rockaway Line: Originally part of the Long Island Rail Road System (more on that at a later date), which was rehabilitation and adapted to fully connect the Rockaway Peninsula into the subway system.<br />
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2. IND Fulton Street Line: Originally part of the Independent Subway System, beginning in downtown Brooklyn and went to East New York. Much of it was built during the 1930's and 1940's. In the late 1950's, this line was connected to this junction.<br />
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3. BMT Fulton Street Line: Formerly an elevated line which was operated by the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corp., that spanned Fulton Street. Most of it was demolished however, and the only remaining section runs along Liberty Avenue From 80th-Hudson Street to Ozone Park-Lefferts Blvd, which was integrated into the IND Fulton Line via this junction.<br />
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In short, any peak time Brooklyn/Queens bound A Trains all travel the same route along the Fulton Line until it reaches this point, after which one train may continue along the even older, elevated Fulton Line, or it heads to the Rockaways. I really enjoyed talking up this single photo, and I hope you, the reader enjoyed it as well.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15208408437480156199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323100820405624470.post-40178835656104940202012-08-25T12:30:00.000-04:002012-08-25T12:30:50.122-04:00The Sherman Avenue Proposal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mmheidelberger/7857664228/in/photostream"><img border="0" height="512" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7119/7857664228_3a3299d023_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
This photograph was taken in Indianapolis some 4 to 5 years back. If memory serves, it was freezing cold and I was randomly approached by this guy who claimed to be an agent for local east side rappers who then asked if I could take his promo photos for the clients he represents. He then proceeds to state in a roundabout way that he can't really compensate me with currency per se, but the exposure he could provide, would make 'famous' in his scene. Annoyed, I proclaimed that while I may take photos under a bridge, I don't conduct business under them and handed him my card. He never called. <br />
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This phenomenon is a very old story. I only freelance part time and have a different stream of regular income, but artists of any kind are frequently propositioned in ways that relate much to panhandling. Although the man in this story is not of the highers classes, but this is indeed how wealthy people beg. Some upper class organization will offer you publicity, exposure, and a chance to socialize with them and all you have to do is hand over your hard work that keeps you sustained.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15208408437480156199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323100820405624470.post-65041857961428159952012-08-24T12:30:00.000-04:002012-08-24T12:30:29.707-04:00The 45th Degree<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mmheidelberger/7848214540/in/photostream"><img border="0" height="512" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7107/7848214540_1c41f8845c_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> (61st and Roosevelt, near the subway and LIRR stations)</span><br />
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Welcome to the continuation of the Queens infrastructure marathon, to ensure diversification enjoyment, I managed to make it out of Astoria and appear in nearby Woodside. What would have made this shot really awesome, is if some retro cars would have happened to have been parked here on Roosevelt Avenue. I really can't complain, the rusty steel girders and rivets are satisfying in their own right.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15208408437480156199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323100820405624470.post-3468349574197839122012-08-22T23:34:00.000-04:002012-08-22T23:34:17.653-04:00Transportation Sandwich<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mmheidelberger/7741246806/in/photostream"><img border="0" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8437/7741246806_d3d18b88d5_z.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> (The foot of the Hellgate bridge and the Astoria-Ditmars Blvd Subway Station in Queens)</span></div>
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A nice tasty transportation sandwich in on the menu here in Astoria. Fixings include 31st Street on the bottom, N and Q Trains in the middle, and topped with Amtrak. New York and many other cities along the Eastern Corridor frequently enjoy similar sandwiches, if only the entire country would develop a taste for them.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15208408437480156199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323100820405624470.post-5210061034015743802012-08-21T19:42:00.002-04:002012-08-21T19:42:53.763-04:00Late Night Airport Run<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Like the bus above, I've been tracking quite a but of miles in this area as of late. The reasons are all self evident for I was leaving work at night, which leaves me less time to diversify the locations in which I photograph. Looking down Hoyt Street and Grand Central Parkway towards the Triborough Bridge in Astoria, Queens.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15208408437480156199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323100820405624470.post-66876273456634753022012-08-20T22:21:00.000-04:002012-08-20T22:21:36.387-04:00A City of Children<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mmheidelberger/7799713122/in/photostream"><img border="0" height="512" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8438/7799713122_094c90bdb7_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b> (Taken at the Marcy Avenue subway station in Williamsburg)</b></span><br />
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A vexed mother flings an uncooperative child on the seat next to where I sit on a public subway bench. Before I continue, it should be said stated that with the exception of a few children in my life that are dear to me, most kids seem to be quite astute to locating every last nerve of my being, then jabbing at them with an olive fork. Within the first sixty seconds of being seated next to me, I was jabbed four times with a right elbow and kicked three times with a right foot. By one minute, thirty seconds of the encounter, a small whiffle ball was dropped in my lap, which then rolled and fell under the bench. Before I could lean forward and assist in the retrieval the ball, an awkward moment occurred when the child rushed to the ground on all fours, digging between my feet. I looked to my left to see the parent's indifferent expression, followed by an equally indifferent shrug. I then looked right to appreciate this tag.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15208408437480156199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323100820405624470.post-4923604945871115832012-08-19T22:29:00.000-04:002012-08-19T22:29:51.481-04:00Sunday Minimalism<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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"Post no bills" may be in full force, by there are always loopholes. Stenciled hearts on deep blue plywood temporary walls, sidewalks and wide-angle lenses, and mild summer weather all went into this post today. Its should be noted that this was photographed in Queens, not Boston.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15208408437480156199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323100820405624470.post-86427398149857689542012-08-17T22:45:00.000-04:002012-08-17T22:45:21.744-04:00Steam and Burning Plastics, The Astoria Truck Fire of 8/16/2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mmheidelberger/7805407788/in/photostream"><img border="0" height="512" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8441/7805407788_9d55ccc03d_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Here I am, walking through Astoria on my lunch break, trying to decide what would be pleasing to the pallet, when I detected a stench most foul. I look up and spot several firefighters tending tending to an engulfed, parked NYC DOT utility truck. Many of the pedestrians in the area were trying to decide whether to gawk or escape the acrid aroma of auto parts in last stage combustion, with camera in hand, the choice for me was clear, souvlaki would have to wait.<br />
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By the time I got to the other side of Astoria Blvd, the fire department had made short of the blaze, but were still charged with having to pry open every smoldering nook and cranny. With the heat and stench, imagine the fun they must be having on a hot summer day.</div>
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I say with admiration that these guys do a job that I, and most people, are not at all cut out for.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15208408437480156199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323100820405624470.post-2915725752262631942012-08-16T22:11:00.000-04:002012-08-16T22:12:56.949-04:00The Big Platform Tablet Chill<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mmheidelberger/7757766130/in/photostream"><img border="0" height="512" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8308/7757766130_c72efef193_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
(Commuter relaxing with an Ipad in the Court Street Station, Brooklyn Heights)<br />
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The amount of people obliviously chilling with tablets and other pricey consumer electronics on crowded public transit is shocking to me. Every time I hear somebody express any kind of angst over the possibilities of being mugged, or more laughably, pick pocketed, I sigh. Why would a thief, these days, get that up close and personal, incurring risk, when a quick grab and shove would work smashingly? What is worse, Wifi is being implemented in select stations around the city, which will only serve to generate even fatter, fruit, which is not only low hanging, but touching the ground. Even the MTA is starting to place PSAs in stations, trains, and buses addressing this issue.<br />
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Even though I blog frequently and am present on multiple social networks, anyone who really knows me can tell you that I refuse to plugged in 24 hours a day; I don't own a tablet or a smart phone. I only state this as a matter of disclosure and am by no means some Luddite, technophobe, suggesting one pry their face from their gadgets; I just pleading a case for the exercise of common sense. One wouldn't casually brandish $600.00 in cash with one hand on their commute, why do so with a device of equal value?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15208408437480156199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323100820405624470.post-3912375942088668102012-08-15T19:45:00.000-04:002012-08-15T19:45:07.227-04:00In Competition With Vices<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Taken on Astoria Blvd, near 31st Street.)</span></span></div>
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There are vices and then there are vices. The vices illustrated above are functional in character and while may cause harm to a sufferer in the long term, one can still perform their day to day duties. My personal vices are of a similar type and include (but are not limited to) donuts and Star Trek; while these vices have been known to affect my social life from time to time, I've never been compelled to sell my first born or live in abject squalor as a result. As for coffee and cigarettes? I never touch the stuff.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15208408437480156199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323100820405624470.post-90383435530021275772012-08-15T11:33:00.000-04:002012-08-15T11:33:07.151-04:00Best Value Shopping // Low Clearance<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mmheidelberger/7787217480/in/photostream"><img border="0" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8294/7787217480_b47ae7bc4f_z.jpg" /></a></div>
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Personally, I find tiny, interlinkable minutiae to completely irresistible If there were some kind of desire in play to lure me into an ambush, all one would have to do is stage an elaborate scene that could be sandwiched into a title.</div>
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This area we are looking at here is 61st and Roosevelt in Woodside, Queens, a significant transit location. Transit options include the LIRR, 7 Train, multiple bus lines, and is only two stops away from the larger Jackson Heights-Roosevelt station at 74th, providing access to all the Queens Blvd trains (E,F,M,R) and more bus routes.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15208408437480156199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323100820405624470.post-53849896385640756612012-08-14T00:58:00.000-04:002012-08-14T00:58:44.793-04:00Blue Sky Astoria<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mmheidelberger/7779040208/in/photostream"><img border="0" height="438" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7127/7779040208_3b38b3fc04_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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My 10mm wide angle lens has been sitting idle for way too long. I began to image it pleading from my gear bag, "please take me to Queens with you". My options were to either (a). grab the lens or (b). seek the services of a psychiatrist. Option (a) was decidedly the more economic and convenient choice. So here is my blue sky neuroleptic substitute for today, a scene from 31st Street in Astoria.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15208408437480156199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323100820405624470.post-10868227829589352632012-08-13T19:49:00.001-04:002012-08-13T19:49:54.852-04:00I, Standpipe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mmheidelberger/7771187602/in/photostream" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="512" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7266/7771187602_ece4a8f57c_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I am sentient.<br />
I am self aware.<br />
I might save your ass one day.<br />
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Although a ubiquitous feature within the subway system, this specific one was encountered on the G Train platform of the Court Square station in Long Island City.<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15208408437480156199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323100820405624470.post-12409607176043322322012-08-12T23:26:00.000-04:002012-08-12T23:26:30.150-04:00A Fertile Mother by the Sea<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mmheidelberger/7770492346/in/photostream"><img border="0" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8304/7770492346_2bdee9d434_z.jpg" /></a></div>
Its impossible to determine how much of these are actually hers. Equally impossible to determine (for me at least) is if she isn't in fact a he, but that possible revelation doesn't mesh well with this post's title, which I'm unduly proud of. So here she is, the hardworking, dedicated mother of (x)^n chicks. Taken in the Edgemere area of The Rockaways.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15208408437480156199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323100820405624470.post-23479215652951301382012-08-12T00:00:00.000-04:002012-08-12T00:00:01.767-04:00'In Relation to' Map<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Taken near Joralemon Street in downtown Brooklyn)</span><br />
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In the pursuit of that special (or not so special) someone, you may get on or off (or merely make a transfer) at one of these stops. Loathing and apathy are conspicuously absent and could not be reach for comment.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15208408437480156199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323100820405624470.post-87422186844673281802012-08-11T00:21:00.000-04:002012-08-11T00:21:02.903-04:00Haunted by the Ghost of Dead Bedbugs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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They are amassing and large quantities of gelatinous substances a forming under the streets. A hideous painting laying in wait in a Manhattan museum is being tapped for its havoc wreaking services. Bedbugs strike chords of tension in even the most jaded New Yorker, but they haven't seen anything until a fog of ectoplasmic nymphs descend upon us all.<br />
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This is a photograph taken near Queens Plaza with a new experimental technique I've been testing.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15208408437480156199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323100820405624470.post-87518860498355829022012-08-10T11:53:00.000-04:002012-08-10T11:53:15.539-04:00Long Island City, Fast Tracked<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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(Original neighborhood structures overshadowed by Citi Tower and other large scale construction)</div>
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Not in the too distant past, Long Island City was considered to be an industrial and working class neighborhood, but with its excellent access to transit, proximity to Manhattan, and relative affordability, its undergoing rapid transition. One doesn't need to dig very deep to view this transition first hand, just take an N or 7 train to Queensboro Plaza and you can see the high rise structures going up and much investment in public spaces. Public transit options tend to play a significant role in how these neighborhoods develop and its no coincidence that most of the heaviest development is focused in the areas between Court Square and Queens Plaza. Subway access in this area is more accessible than some areas of Manhattan; Court Square (7,E,G,M), Queensboro Plaza (7,N,Q), Queens Plaza (E,M,R), 21st-Queensbridge (F). Development however, is also moving north of the Plaza.<br />
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(Queens Plaza at night)<br />
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If one were to continue up north past streets like 21st or Crescent Streets, it would be clear the development is in its earlier stages when compared to the neighborhoods southern section. They would see large amounts of light industry like auto repair shops, a large bakery that makes the entire area smell like a hot loaf of bread, and of course, Queensbridge, the largest public housing complex in the United States. One would also notice the large amounts of newer, more affordable, hotels that have been constructed, who's rates can be more than half that of hotels in Manhattan.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15208408437480156199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1323100820405624470.post-57208645451719332282012-08-10T00:01:00.000-04:002012-08-10T00:01:01.051-04:00Squalid<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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Pigeons and many other of its avian brethren do indeed make fabulous, dysfunctional hoarders. So much so, that they can rival humanity's ability to do so. I will say that there are many rewards that await you if you just look up and around every now and then as you walk. This is not one of those, but there is always inherent risk in any endeavor. Taken in Queens Plaza.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15208408437480156199noreply@blogger.com0